Venetian blind



y 12, 1931- w. E. DUNCANSON 1,805,238

VENETIAN BLIND Filed March 27, 1928 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 24 0 484/ 0% L J\ 7g ,7? 84/ (A w a 20 .71 m 7; 21

INVENTOR May 12, 1931. w, DUNCANSON 1,805,238

VENETIAN BLIND Filed March 2'7, 1928 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 May 12, 1931. w. E. DUNCANSON VENETIAN BLIND 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed March 27 1928 INVENTOR W. E. DUNCANSON VENETIAN BLIND Filed March 27, 1928 May 12, 1931.

Patented May 12, 1931 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WALTER E. DUNCANSON, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO J'. G. WILSON CORP., OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF VIRGINIA VENETIAN BLIND Application filed March 27, 1928. Serial No. 264,983.

Heretofore venetian blinds have been con structed in various manners to include a plurality of slats so mounted and arranged as to be spaced in different positions at given intervals, together with means for raising and lowering the slats and supporting them in any desired position, as well as means for guiding the slats in the movement thereof. In this type of venetian blind it has been customary to support the slats upon suitable tapes and to tilt the slats by adjusting the positions of the tapes from and by a tilting bar and also to raise and lower the slats through the intervention of a lifting bar and suitable lifting cords. The lifting cords, in accordance with the usual practice, are threaded through apertures provided for this purpose in the slats, and attached to the lifting bar at points between the ends of the lifting bar registering with the holes in the slats. The slats, furthermore, have commonly been supported upon cross-tapes extending under the slats and secured to longitudinal tapes employed for this purpose. Obviously in this style of venetian blind the slats when tilted cannot be brought directly into contact with one another by reason of the lifting cord operating between them. In this type of venetian blind the ends of the slats have heretofore been provided with means for guiding the same in the movement thereof but so for as I am aware the end portions of the slats and the guide rails have not heretofore been so constructed as to obviate the tendency of a wedging action during the tilting movement.

The object of my present invention is the provision of a venetian blind structure in which the objections to which reference has been made, as well as possible other objections and disadvantages, are overcome. The improved construction is such that the slats are so mounted as to be tilted to a position in which they contact with each other leaving no appreciable space between the slats because with this construction no lifting cord lies between them. The slats are so supported that they do not shift or move by the wind or air currents and hence do not rattle, because an inverted tape and absence of lifting cord prevent it. The slats being I when necessary for repairs, or for other purposes. The manner in which the slats are supported, together with the fact that the lifting cords do not pass through the slats make this feature possible. The end portions of the. slats are so rounded that there is substantially no liability of a Wedging or jamming action between the same and the guide rails in adjusting the slats to position. The guide rails are so constructed and the lifting bar for the slats is so associated therewith that there is no tendency of the lifting bar to wedge or become jammed in the adjustment of the same to position, The lifting cord operates in a channel provided therefor in the guide rails, and leaves the top bar from the side thereof permitting the operation of the blind from either the inside or the outside of a building, room, or other place.

These and other improvements in the venetian blind made in accordance with this invention will be hereinafter more particularly described.

.In the drawings Figure 1 is a plan of a venetian blind made in accordance with my present invention,

Fig. 2 is an elevation of the same,

Fig. 3 is a section taken on line 3-3, Fig. 2,

Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation taken on line 44, Fig. 3,

Fig. 5 is a plan of one end of a form of slat,

Fig. 6 is an end elevation of the same,

Fig. 7 is an enlarged plan showing one end of the blind,

Fig. 8 is a section on line 8-8, Fig. 7,

Fig. 9 is an enlarged section on line 9-9, Fig. 2,

Fig. 10 is an enlarged section on line 1010, Fig. 2, I

Fig. 11 is an enlarged elevation illustrating the manner in which the lifting bar is associated with the guide rails,

Fig. 12 is an enlarged section on line 12-12, Fig. 2,

Fig. 13 is an enlarged section on line 1313, Fig. 2,

Fig. 14 is a transverse section showing a modified form of guide rail,

Fig. 15 is a sectional elevation on line 15-15, Fig. 14, and

Fig. 16 is a perspective view showing a modification of the end structure of the lifting bar.

In the drawings I have illustrated a form of venetian blind as applied to the outer portion of a window, for example, a porch window, although, as will be readily understood, the blind is constructed to be mounted on the inner side of a window, or on the inner faces thereof, or to be placed within the window frames, without departing from the nature and spirit of the invention. As illustrated,

the outer faces of the upright members of a window frame are indicated at 20 and 21. Associated with these portions of the window frame, as illustrated, I employ oppositely disposed guide rails 22 and 23 for directing the movement of the slats and also a ortion of the lifting cords.

ese guide rails, as illustrated, are connected to the outer faces of the window frame b means of brackets 24 and 25, although obviously they may be connected by any other suitable means so as to be maintained in the necessary positions. Also, as hereinbefore stated, these guide rails may be placed on the inner faces of the window frame or between the upright members of the window frame.

These guide rails may be made of any suitable material and inany desired manner. For exam le, as shown in Figs. 9 and 10 they may made of wood and formed of similar oppositely made parts 26 and 27, the outer edges of which are flanged, as indicated at 28 and 29, and connected by means of screws 30 or otherwise. In similar positions these parts are provided with ribs 31 and 32 forming an interior wall which is slotted, as indicated at 33, whereby the interior of the guide rail is provided with an inner channel 34, an outer channel 35 separated by the slotted wall formed by the ribs 31 and 32.

As illustrated in Figs. 14 and 15, however, these channel members may be made of metal, in which instance, as illustrated in these figures there is an outer member of U shaped cross-section, illustrated at 36, and an inner member 37 fitting therein and connected thereto by rivets 38 or otherwise. One of the transverse walls of the inner member is slotted, as indicated at 39, providing ribs 40 and 41 similar to the ribs 31 and 32 in the other form of guide member and providing in this guide member an inner channel 42 and an outer channel 43.

As is customary in venetian blinds, in carrying out this invention I employ a plurality of slats, as indicated at 44.

These slats may be made of any suitable material but in accordance with the present invention the material must be sufficiently resilient to permit each slat to be flexed for individual removal from the blind when necessary. To this end the slats may be made of wood of any kind which when sufiiciently thin is resilient and flexible enough to serve the purposes, or, as illustrated in Figs. 5 and 6, each slat may be made of metal and corrugated longitudinally, or not, provided the metal is resilient and flexible enough to answer the purposes of the invention. The metal may be an aluminum alloy or any other. metal which is sufliciently resilient or flexible, that is, when bent out of line will return to its original straight line condition when released. It will be understood that a proper metal for use in such a structure-is one which when exposed to the weather will not rust or become damaged thereby and thus be made unsightly. It will also be understood that when a metal slat is employed under certain conditions it acts as a fire retardent.

In the forms of the invention as illustrated in Fig. 9 the slats 44 are made of wood and at their respective ends are provided with tongues 45 adapted to enter and move within the outer channels of the guide rails, and at each end each slat is preferably formed with round corners, as indicated at 46, in order to assist in the adjustment of the slats to position and to prevent them from so entering the channel in the guide rail as to lodge or remain there, it being obvious that when the slats are tilted to an upright position there may be a tendency for the ends of the slats to enter the outer channels in the guide rails and when this is done the curved or rounded corners of the slats will co-operate with the edge portions of the uide rails enabling the slats to readily free themselves therefrom.

In the form of the slat structure as shown in Figs. 5 and 6 each slat as indicated at 47 is fitted at the end thereof with a tongue 48 and each slat is corrugated longitudinally, the corrugations being designated at 49, this form of slat, as hereinbefore stated, being \made of any suitable metal sufiiciently re- 'silient and flexible to answer the purposes of the invention and which permits the slat to return to its original shape after being flexed.

As is customary I employ a plurality of tapes either metal or fabric for supporting the slats. These tapes include longitudinal tapes, that is, tapes extending lengthwise of the window and the blind, and having crosstapes connected in spaced positions thereto. As shown the longitudinal tapes are indicated at 50, 51 and 52. These tapes at their upper ends are suitably secured to a tilting bar 53. At their lower ends these longitudinal tapes are suitably connected to a lifting bar 54. It

will be understood that in carrying out the as illustrated, the cord when not in use may rails there are cross invention it is desirable to employ more than two, and preferably three, sets of these longitudinal tapes for a reason which will hereinafter more fully appear. To the longi- 5 tudinal tapes there are connected in spaced positions the usual cross-tapes, for example, between the longitudinal tape 50 and its complementary tape 50 there are cross-tapes 55 and 56 connected thereto by suitable lines of stitching 57 and 58 or otherwise. In like manner between the longitudinal tape 51 and its complementary tape 51 there are crosstapes 59 and 60 which are suitably spaced and secured to the longitudinal tapes by lines of stitching 61 and 62 or otherwise. As illustrated, particularly in Fig. 4, each slat is so placed in these tapes that the cross-tapes 55 of the outer longitudinal tapes 50 and 52 lie below the slat and the cross-tape 59 of the intermediate longitudinal tape 51 lies above the slat.

By this structure and connection, as will now be understood, the slat is maintained in position against a downward or an inward movement by the cross-tapes 55 and from an upward or an outward movement by the cross-tape 59. Consequently, irrespective of the position in which the slats may be adjusted they are maintained in such positions that they do not strike each other and thereby create a rattling sound. Still furthermore, as is illustrated in Fig. 4, each slat may be flexed by bending the central portion thereof down Wardly against the supporting action of the cross tapes 55 and sufliciently far to bring the central portion adjacent that of the next lower slat, causing the tongues at the ends of the slat to be raised suficiently far to be free from the outer channels of the guide rails, whereby each slat may be flexed and removed when necessary and may be as readily placed in position inasmuch as the lifting cords do not pass through the slats, as will be hereinafter described. This is quite important when metal seats are used as the keen edge of the hole would tend to cut the cord.

The tilting bar 53 may be provided at its ends with trunnions 64 j ournaled in bearings provided for this purpose in brackets 65. Associated with the tilting bar there are suitable devices for actuating the same by a tilting bar cord 66. This cord is connected to the tilting bar and co-operates with said devices in such a manner as to shift the bar by turning it to any desired position through the {manipulation of the cord. These devices may include suitable pulleys and a brake or other structure known to the art for operating and maintaining the tilting bar in position. Also,

be connected to a suitable hook 67 or other device at one side of the window.

Mounted at the u per end of the guide bars 68 and 69. These may be associated with the guide rails by being connected thereto by brackets 70 as well as the brackets 65 or otherwise. At the ends of these cross bars there are pulleys 71 and 72. The pulley 71 is mounted on an axle 73 and the pulley 72 on an axle 74. Fixed in the cross bars adjacent one end thereof there are bracket plates 75. Mounted in these bracket plates there are pulleys 76 and 77 adapted to turn respectively on axles 78 and 79. Also mounted in these bracket plates there is a pulley 80 adapted to turn on an axle 81. This pulley 80 is constructed to turn on ball bearings 82 and although not illustrated the other pulleys may be similarly constructed and mounted.

The slats are raised and lowered and maintained in vertical positions by means of lifting cords 83 and 84 situated in front of the blind. The lifting cords 83 and 84 both pass over the pulley 80. The lifting cord 83 passes over the pulley 76, over the pulley 71, and

'into the inner channel in the guide rail 22,

that portion of the lifting cord which lies in the said channel being indicated at 85. After passing over the pulley 80 the lifting cord 84 passes over the pulley 77, then over the pulley 72, and into the inner channel in theguide rail 23, that portion of the lifting cord 84 lying within the channel in this guide rail being indicated at 86. This system of pulleys provides one pulley for controlling the movement of the right hand cord 83 and another for controlling the movement of the left hand cord 84. The corresponding ends of these lifting cords are similarly connected to the ends of the lifting bar 54, for example, as illustrated in Fig. 11 the end of the lifting cord 83 is connected by a knot 87 to a loop 88 of wire or other material securedon a button 89. Also connected to the button 89 there is a similar loop of wire 90 or other material thru which the end of a pin 91 is passed.

At its outer extremity this pin 91 is headed, as indicated at 92 while the opposite end portion passes through'a sleeve 93 and into the corresponding end of the lifting bar 54, it being understood that the sleeve 93 lies and operates in the outer channel of the adjacent guide rail while the pin 91 passes through the slot 33 in the internal wall of the guide rail and into the inner channel of the guide ra1 It will also be understood that by this construction the button 89 is maintained in contact with the edge portions of'the slot in the transverse wall of the guide rail and prevents that portion of the lifting cord lying within this inner channel from passing through the slot, and also that the action of this button 89 prevents the head of the pin 91 from coming into contact with the inner face of the transverse wall in the guide rail, and consequently prevents any wedging action of the lifting bar. As illustrated in Fig. 16 the ends of the lifting bar 54 may each be provided with a pin 94 fitting on which is a sleeve 95 having a tagering extension 96 which is cut away at 9 an terminates in the head 98, adapted to lie within the inner channel of the guide rail while the cut-away portion passes through the slot in the inner transverse wall of the guide rail.

This structure, however, is merely a modification of that shown in Fig. 11 and the invention, as will be understood, is not limited to the form of either of these means for maintainin the guide rail in place and preventing it om wedging in the operation of the blind.

From the foregoing it will also now be understood that the lifting cords for raising and lowering the slats do not pass 20 through the slats and that the lifting bar 1s actuated, that is, raised and lowered, from the attachments extendin from the ends thereof by the operation the lifting cords in the inner channels of the guide rails, the 25 lifting cords having the operative ends thereof brought together at any suitable place, preferably ad'acent one end of the slats and at the same side of the blind whereby both lifting cords may be actuated at the same 30 place to raise and lower the lifting bar and from the same to raise and lower the slats by a construction in which the tendency to raise and lower the lifting bar unevenly is substantially obviated by simultaneously 3 operating both lifting cords in the same manner. This, of course, tends to prevent an wedging action of the lifting bar, whic wedging action moreover is obviated by the use of the button and the connections between the same and the lifting cords and {)he pin connections at the ends of the lifting I claim as my invention:

1. In a venetian blind, a plurality of detachable resilient slats supported by supporting tapes, guide members therefor fastened to the sides of a window casing, the flexing of the slats, making the same detachable from the guide members.

2. In a venetian blind, a plurality of slats, a tilting bar, means for supporting the slats from the tilting bar, and tapes each passing over one of the slats to prevent disorder therein produced by relatively brisk air currents.

3. In a venetian blind, a pluralit of slats, guide rails and a tilting bar there or, longitudinal tapes depending from the tilting bar, cross tapes connected to said longitudinal 4. In a venetian blind, a plurality of flexible slats, guide rails with which the ends "tapes in arrangement reversed to the aforetapes, each slat being placed over cross tapes of the slats are asociated, a tilting bar, outer longitudinal tapes depending from the tilting bar, intermediate longitudinal tapes depending from the tilting bar, cross tapes connected in like positions to the said outer and intermediate longitudinal tapes, each slat being placed over corresponding cross tapes in the outer longitudinal tapes and under the corresponding cross tapes in the intermediate longitudinal tapes whereby the slats may be centrally flexed causing the ends thereof to move from the guide rails.

5. In a venetian blind, a plurality of slats, side guides for directing the movement of the said slats, two or more ladder tapes for supporting and positioning the slats, and ladder tapes between the said supporting and positioning tapes for preventing a disordered movement of the slats.

6. In a venetian blind, a plurality of slats, a tilting bar for positioning the slats, ladder tapes having cross members passing under the slats for supporting and holding the same in uniform spaced positions, and other ladder said ladder tapes for preventing the slats from making an upward or turning movement while in operative assembly.

7. Ina venetian blind, a plurality of flexible slats, oppositely disposed guide rails for holding the slats in proper alignment, a lifting bar, lifting means operable through the guide rails and secured to the ends of the lifting bar, said means being manually operable from the front of the blind through a right and left operating pulley device, a tilting bar, outer longitudinal tapes depending from the tilting bar to maintain the slats in uniform spaced positions along the guide rail, intermediate longitudinal tapes depending from the tilting bar having cross members above the slats facilitating a central downward flexing of the same whereby the slats may be removed from the guide rails without interfering with the lifting means.

Signed by me this 20th day of March, 1928.

WALTER E. DUNCANSON. 

